From the bride:Ryan and I had began dating when Ryan was first accepted to the Air Force Academy, so for four very long years, our dream came true when we said “I do” in the Air Force Academy Chapel that has held so many wonderful memories.

My mom and I did everything for our wedding. Every single detail we planned or made together, and she was my rock and my sanity through the entire wedding. She made sure not a single thing went wrong during the entire day.

My most memorable moment was walking down the aisle. Every aspect of that moment was a dream come true. The aisle of the Air Force Academy is huge, so I had a long time to take everything in. When I first started down the aisle I could hear the perfect clink of my heals on the floor, the sun was shining so my dress was glistening, I looked up and saw all the colors coming from all the panes of stained glass, all the guests staring back at me, the look on my dad’s face as he beamed down at me, and then that moment when I made eye contact with Ryan at the end of the aisle. There are no words for that moment. I don’t even remember anything else after the moment we locked eyes.

The organ that was played during our ceremony has 83 ranks and 67 stops controlling 4,334 pipes. The organist was the same organist who played for Ryan’s parents when they were married.

We walked under a saber arch at the end of the ceremony, a military tradition to welcome newlyweds into the Air Force as one.

Our first dance was done to “Endless Love” by Luther Vandross.

Our cake was an exact replica of the beading on my wedding gown. We used Ryan’s saber to cut the cake.

During my bouquet toss, I broke up the bouquet so that most girls received a flower, because everyone deserves their fairytale.

Another memorable moment was the father/daughter dance. The man who I loved first and I will always keep so close to my heart, holding me in an embrace as we glided across the floor to ‘Butterfly Kisses’, a song we listened to all the time when I was growing up. It still gives me a lump in my throat when I think about sharing butterfly kisses during the dance.

My advice: Take your time and don’t rush your engagement. Make your wedding your own, but don’t be shut off from others giving you ideas. Most importantly, nothing during the planning process should get in between you and your future husband. Don’t ever let the stress of wedding planning become too much for you, because at the end of the day, if you are married, it was the most perfect day of your life.

Ryan and I closed the night with a dance to “Come Fly With Me” by Michael Bublee. As we exited, we were showered with hundreds of little foam airplanes to send us off into the “Wild Blue Yonder.” Ryan is a pilot so the planes were sending us off to our next base!